Track Your Skills
If you have a corporate job or work outside the house, you probably know that dreaded annual event called the Performance Review. It’s amazing how many people dislike it not because it’s a yearly occurrence or because their income may be affected by it. Many people prefer to procrastinate because they don’t know what to put on it.
One of the easiest ways to combat the desire to procrastinate is to keep a running list of what Cara Barone calls Credibility Markers. These are mentioned in her course for entrepreneurs but is useful for almost everyone.
Fighting Imposter Syndrome
Keeping a list of things you do, what you’ve done, and the impact it had, make an annual review much easier. But it’s also handy to have if you suffer from impostor syndrome. You can pull out your list anytime or review it in your mind to recognize the effect you’ve already had on your family, or work, or the world.
So if you’ve given 5 presentations to sales assistants about your department in a company, include that in your file. And update it when you give your sixth so it’s current. Keeping it up to date is really the key. If you start a Word document and make a note each time you have something to add, you don’t have to think back over the year and try to recall all the different things you did, people with whom you interacted, or times you saved the day.
Include that you’ve applied to other positions and departments, unless you feel this would cause unnecessary retaliation at the office. It takes a great deal of confidence and commitment to the company to want to train in new areas and grow in the business.
Add in deadlines you and your team met, including who else you worked with if applicable. Include mentoring you did to people coming up to your level in a company, and anyone who acted as a mentor to you, because learning and growing should be an important part of every company’s plan to retain employees.
In addition to keeping a document that has all your information you can also keep your LinkedIn profile updated. This means every time you win an award or get promoted, you’ll be on LinkedIn making certain your info is up to date.
Track Your Best Abilities
Stay at home mom? No worries, you can get impostor syndrome too, and I recommend to my clients that they also keep a running list – whether on the computer or in their journal. It’s something they can look back on to help them recall all the times they were able to multitask, rescue, or exceed expectations on the home front. Not everyone sees the value in this, but stay with me.
You’re in charge of your kid’s PTO at school. That’s a huge job, requiring lots of organizing skills that any company would be lucky to get. You run a household that has two adults, and however many children, possibly assorted animals, a ton of chores, appointments, and all kinds of other things to keep track of. You keep track of the family schedule, making certain immunizations are up to date, annual physicals are scheduled, sick family members are taken care of, homework is done, and a hundred other things that require juggling.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Check. Laundry? Check. Prescriptions filled? Check. And often, working on the home front with unpaid labor allowing the other partner to excel at their work. So don’t sell yourself short because you’re a stay at home mom. You do amazing things, too.
When annual review time comes around, or impostor syndrome rears it’s ugly head and makes you feel like a fraud, pull out your list and see how much you’ve accomplished. And celebrate yourself.